There are many different uses for nuclear energy, some of them harmful and some of them not.
A picture of an atomic bomb that is blowing up. Deadly, but can look very cool at the same time
Many different deadly weapons have been made using the nuclear reaction fission. The one that is very widely known is the atomic bomb, which was used during the World War 2. Even though bad things have been made with nuclear energy, there have also been good things made with it too. In the farming and agriculture industry, nuclear energy has been studied to help the control of pests and to increase the production of crops. Nuclear energy is also starting to be used for radiotherapy cancer treatment. Sterilization by radiation is another way that nuclear reactions have been used in the medical field.
A nuclear reactor
The most widely known way that nuclear energy has been used is in nuclear power plants, as a green energy source. It produces energy using the reaction fission, which splits uranium atoms apart. This provides a very big amount of energy using material that pretty much will never run out, so it is a good energy source to use.
Nuclear reactors are very costly to build though, and the U.S. has used 492 billion total since the reactors have first started to be built. Reactors can be very dangerous if there is a leak in the system, since many people will be harmed from the radiation. An example of this is the Chernobyl accident in Russia, in 1986. Many people suffered badly from it, and still causes issues now, over twenty years later. A recent accident from nuclear reactors is what happened in Japan. There have been many explosions of one of their nuclear reactors, and they have needed to evacuate thousands of people. Even so, many people have still been harmed by the radiation.
A nuclear waste sign, typically seen near reactors to warn people
When reactors need to be shut down or cleaned up, all traces of the radiation must be gone before it is safe. This is an expensive endeavor, and can cost between 2.3 to 4.1 billion. Building the plant itself can be very costly, but after you build it, the production costs of the created energy are extremely low. It costs just a little more than two cents per kilowatt-hour. This costs way less than oil, gas, or coal, which are the staple energy producers in the U.S. right now. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf02.html can supply more information on prices of nuclear reactors.
Uses of Nuclear Energy
by ShanonThere are many different uses for nuclear energy, some of them harmful and some of them not.
Many different deadly weapons have been made using the nuclear reaction fission. The one that is very widely known is the atomic bomb, which was used during the World War 2. Even though bad things have been made with nuclear energy, there have also been good things made with it too. In the farming and agriculture industry, nuclear energy has been studied to help the control of pests and to increase the production of crops. Nuclear energy is also starting to be used for radiotherapy cancer treatment. Sterilization by radiation is another way that nuclear reactions have been used in the medical field.
The most widely known way that nuclear energy has been used is in nuclear power plants, as a green energy source. It produces energy using the reaction fission, which splits uranium atoms apart. This provides a very big amount of energy using material that pretty much will never run out, so it is a good energy source to use.
Nuclear reactors are very costly to build though, and the U.S. has used 492 billion total since the reactors have first started to be built. Reactors can be very dangerous if there is a leak in the system, since many people will be harmed from the radiation. An example of this is the Chernobyl accident in Russia, in 1986. Many people suffered badly from it, and still causes issues now, over twenty years later. A recent accident from nuclear reactors is what happened in Japan. There have been many explosions of one of their nuclear reactors, and they have needed to evacuate thousands of people. Even so, many people have still been harmed by the radiation.
When reactors need to be shut down or cleaned up, all traces of the radiation must be gone before it is safe. This is an expensive endeavor, and can cost between 2.3 to 4.1 billion. Building the plant itself can be very costly, but after you build it, the production costs of the created energy are extremely low. It costs just a little more than two cents per kilowatt-hour. This costs way less than oil, gas, or coal, which are the staple energy producers in the U.S. right now.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf02.html can supply more information on prices of nuclear reactors.